Extensis Portfolio 10 or Canto Cumulus. Both pricey but does all you mentioned.
I tried this(Portfolio) and it
doesn't have the folder structure as
ACDSee IDimager, and Media Pro. These programs understand those user needs and why its important to have one.Also Portfolio doesn't allow you to have the thumbnails on a separate window from previews(locked interface), Big downer. Those 2 were deal breakers. I really didn't look too much further and I only took 10 min or so to see if the other 2 issues were something I overlooked. I did notice you can simply type in an extension and it will support it...rather simple and sweet.
Cumulus, I haven't used in about a decade. I'll have to take another look. I think its more enterprise level....Looks like it is cloud based? Maybe Getty Images would appreciate it, but overkill for me. If it wasn't cloud and if it was reasonably priced (about $50-250), I would consider it. If more money, It would have to have a great reason.
So far I have narrowed it down to MediaPro, Idimager, and ACDSeePro5. Any others I missed? (Already tried PhotoMechanic, Breeze, Faststone). All good but have some deal breakers.
I'll have to see how one of these 3 above will interact with LR, as I think it is a super developer and would want to use what it offers in the Dev tab. It also does metadata nicely, and ACDSee is as close to this aspect, while the other 2 are a bit harder to use keywording(So far). Some things take time to adapt to the way they work.
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Now that you've read my OP, :-) realized this is for creative thinking and looking for a DAM solution(not riping LR apart) :-)...
My remark about money driven is like many large companies that lock in products that can soooo easily do something more, but break it off to make yet another product that does a little more than the first. (hard to explain, but I think you get the idea).
Regarding Bridge....Everytime I launch Bridge it crashes, then some progress touch another folder, it crashes. then the wonky steps of export. Its a bit "underdeveloped". I think it has to do with the fact that I have my actual files on servers, and it just gets a white screen of death.
Now your next paragraph sounds exciting.....Which is faster to parse folders or to cull and create a database...
I don't mind the actual time of the import. Its having multiple sessions for each catagory of a catalog... and my example of having 3 or four different ones just for one CF card in a days shooting , transfer/organization.(So I use other apps for moving and then I sync LR DB).
BUT, I do have over 20 years of experience in file management, photography. and The browser is superior in a number of ways which I have listed a few times.
Imagine the resource usage of LR from DB vs browser?...Maybe LR speed would be a very differnt story than what you see now.
FYI, I noticed some DAM's use existing Explorer thumbnails and this makes things SUPER smooth(For using it just for this purpose of a few formats/Otherwise responsibility issues can form), and as LR4 has left XP out, and since the thumbs apply only in Win7/Vista, it makes sense.
There are other apps out there if you want a full fledged management application...but that's not what LR was designed to do. It was designed specifically for digital images-primarily raw captures. It's like Camera Raw with a mouth and an anus...
Yes, but when you have 1 main format, a standard format PDF ignored...it doesn't make sesne to limit it of such....and I will say even of other Adobe FAMILY apps. WHY, simply no reason. Its not a resource issue, as it would be an option to enable formats people want. It for now sounds more like a technical issue with that being the last on LR dev teams mind as they try and fix all this memory and studdering issues people are having ( I have them too, somewhat tolerable, but its there).
Scott,
no one is saying a Do-All doodad of a app. Not sure how long you've been shooting, and how you think adding 2 or 3 formats changes the application in ANY way...But I'm over 20 years of shooting. I expressed on a few posts of how LR limitations apply to newbi shooters or very limited to strictly Fine Art printing, but some folks work with these applications beyond the scope of 3 file formats. As you said...You see the use of PDF, FANTASTIC Scott! In order to make a proper PDF, InDesign is a great tool...so its more layout based...JUST let me know the FILE is there and it didnt move or get deleted, or WTF its doing someplace...I need to know it was made and saved. Is it SOOO much to ask for the Family of Adobe formats to show up if you so want to in an option click ?
You can call me what ever you like, just careful with the rules and moderators.... But I'm not a web newbie with my name (BBS boards since the 80's) so you can call me Phil, same for the past 3 or so years here and same handle on Photo.net for the past 7 years. I hope you can get used to it. ...Just I hope you can look at the substance, not the cover ;-) And I really know what you mean by apps doing the all for all, and your absolutely right about that...This is not what I'm suggesting. Rather the opposite.....a few more
Adobe formats.
These are simply Formats you mention...NOT tabu! they are the family of products. JohnBeardy said it so simply soooo well (I need to trim my posts, I know)....
Because it's failing to integrate the photographer's workflow, and it's the need that's important - not an arbitrary and changing definition of what constitutes photographic material.
This is the BOTTOM LINE folks!
What a professional photographer is today, was in NO WAY what a professional photographer was just 5 years ago(for the most part). And DO pleaase take another look at my mention of how LR is just that...a CONSUER of imagery, NOT a producer, and see that they is a gray area to allow the existance of.,...and then letting go(seeing a file and allowing the chosen/proper app to launch it). This grey area are the formats of PDF, maybe PNG, surely PSB Schewe, (forgot about my images I made for billboards) and other files that can simply have the icon to
RECOGNIZE THEY EXIST.Thats my speach for tonight.. Stay tuned for tomorrow!